Scottish Executive

Air Services

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the planning and environmental impact would be at airfields in the Highlands and Islands of British Airways moving entirely to jet aircraft following any take-over of British Regional Air Lines Group plc and how it would ensure that any subsequent costs incurred were not passed on to passengers through increased travel costs.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive is not aware of any plans by British Airways for an all jet aircraft operation in the Highlands and Islands following its take-over of the British Regional Air Lines Group plc.

Air Services

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many airline operators it has met in the last year to discuss the provision of budget air between Scotland and countries outside the UK.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive has met a number of airlines and had discussions with Scottish Enterprise, Highlands & Islands Enterprise, Scottish Airports Ltd and Highlands & Islands Airports Ltd about the promotion of more direct air services serving Scotland. These discussions have not been restricted to any one type of air service and we shall continue to encourage the development of more commercial and cost-effective air services for the benefit of the travelling public and the Scottish economy.

Autism

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-14015 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 22 March 2001, who the four voluntary organisations in receipt of funding from its Innovation Grants Programme are and whether it will detail the six projects aimed at supporting children and their families with autistic spectrum disorder.

Nicol Stephen: The Scottish Society for Autism runs two projects a) the Social Inclusion Partnership Project - a pro-active service to address difficulties causing school exclusion and family breakdown and b) Video Interaction Positively – use of video technology to promote positive interaction between parent and child (concluded March 2001).

  The National Autistic Society also operates two projects a) Developing Social Skills and Understanding – an interactive programme to enhance social skills and to produce a training pack for local authorities to develop good practice and b) Accreditation Scotland – to improve practice and standards in schools in relation to autism.

  The Parent to Parent Tayside initiative, Promoting Good Practice for Parents (autism, dyslexia and dyspraxia) Project, is piloting partnerships between parents, voluntary organisations, local authorities and health boards.

  The Scottish Society for Autism, in partnership with the Highlands and Islands Autism Group – Caithness Branch, is providing outreach and advice services in a rural area through the Co-ordination of Services for Children with Autism, Dyslexia and Dyspraxia Project.

Autism

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will give details of any inclusiveness projects initiated to date for those diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome.

Ms Wendy Alexander: On 11 April, I announced the allocation of £15.1 million to take forward inclusiveness projects to improve assessment and tracking, and to develop keyworker support for some of Scotland’s most disadvantaged young people. 16 inclusiveness projects will be up and running by the end of the year, with the first eight projects expected to start in June 2001.

  The multi-agency projects, co-ordinated by careers service companies, will respond to the needs of a wide range of young people and may include young people with Asperger’s syndrome.

Cancer

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide statistics on the incidence of cancer in the west of Scotland as compared to the rest of Scotland.

Susan Deacon: Comparative cancer incidence by health board areas for the years 1988 to 1997 is available for 26 cancer sites on ISD online at

  http://www.show.scot.nhs.uk/isd/cancer/cancer.htm

Cancer

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what improvements will be brought about, both generally and specifically for patients, by relocating the Beatson Oncology Unit from its current site at the Western Infirmary to a new site at Gartnavel General Hospital in Glasgow.

Susan Deacon: This investment in state of the art radiotherapy equipment is expected not only to reduce current waiting times from seven weeks to two weeks but also to improve patients’ experiences of their care through the provision of modern facilities.

Cancer

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the move of the Beatson Oncology Unit within Glasgow is on target.

Susan Deacon: The first of the three new linear accelerators within Gartnavel Hospital was used to treat patients earlier this month. The second is due to be commissioned in June and the third by the end of this year. The programme is, therefore, currently on target.

Dairy Produce

Mr Jamie McGrigor (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what volume of milk quota for both wholesale and direct sales was available for use in the year ending 31 March 2001 within the Southern Isles ring-fenced area.

Ross Finnie: Wholesale quota available for use in the quota year ending 31 March 2001 was 52,856,125 litres. Direct sales quota was 417,390 litres. These figures take account of the removal of Islay from the Southern Isles ring fenced area.

E-Government

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when it last met Her Majesty’s Government’s new e-Envoy Andrew Pinder and what issues were discussed.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Senior officials of the Scottish Executive met the e-Envoy, Andrew Pinder, on Thursday 12 April and discussed e-government and telecommunications infrastructure.

Employment

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the statement by Ms Wendy Alexander on 11 April 2001, what methodology was used to estimate that there are 100,000 job vacancies in Scotland.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Currently, the only official source of information about vacancies in Scotland is from Jobcentre records maintained by the Employment Service. The latest figures show that in March 2001 there were 45,700 vacancies at Jobcentres in Scotland. Surveys of employers have historically shown that only around a third of vacancies in the economy are notified to Jobcentres. Hence the estimate that, in Scotland, there are at least 100,000 vacancies. The Office for National Statistics has recently started a simple regular enterprise survey-based approach to provide a fuller measure of vacancies in the UK although this is still in the experimental phase.

Energy Efficiency

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what assistance is available for small businesses who want to improve their energy efficiency and what the take-up of any available funds has been from 1999 to date.

Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive’s Scottish Energy Efficiency Office (SEEO) operates the Energy Efficiency Best Practice Programme, providing free consultancy advice to businesses and other organisations to encourage more efficient use of energy. Funding in the current year is £1.7 million and one particular aim of SEEO is to encourage take-up by small businesses. The introduction of the climate change levy, which has raised business energy costs, is designed to work in this direction and from this year an additional £2 million a year is to be made available from the levy for additional energy efficiency programmes delivered jointly with the Carbon Trust.

  SEEO also funds the Energy Saving Trust’s Scottish programme, which is largely aimed at domestic energy use, but which offers interest free loans to small businesses for investment in energy efficiency through a scheme called Loan Action Scotland.

Environment

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive on how many occasions over the last five years the Scottish Environment Protection Agency has sought prosecution of the water authorities and how many prosecutions were successful.

Rhona Brankin: The information requested is not held centrally. This is a matter for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. The agency publishes details of successful prosecutions on its website:

  http://www.sepa.org.uk/envdata/prosecutions/

Finance

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the government and lottery grant schemes under which local authorities, agencies and communities in the north east of Scotland parliamentary region are able to make bids.

Allan Wilson: The information is not available in the form requested. Local authorities and communities are able to apply for support to a wide range of grant schemes administered by the Scottish Executive. Information on these schemes, including a guide to grants for the voluntary sector, is available through the Scottish Executive website under the relevant topic. Many non-departmental public bodies run grant schemes that are open to authorities and communities and details of these may be obtained from the bodies directly. Details on lottery schemes are similarly available from the distributors themselves.

Finance

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has made to Her Majesty’s Government regarding the implications for its policies and for public services in Scotland of any proposed changes to the Barnett formula.

Angus MacKay: The present Government has no plans to change the Barnett formula, therefore the Scottish Executive has had no discussions with the UK Government in this respect.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive why it and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food are co-ordinating the promotion of the technical measures for use by the Scottish fishing fleet.

Rhona Brankin: We work closely with MAFF on a range of issues. A co-ordinated approach tends to be the preferable option in fisheries since Scottish fishermen fish off the coast of England and English vessels fish in the Scottish zone. For example, recent proposals for technical measures to protect juvenile haddock will apply to all UK vessels fishing in the Scottish zone of British fishery limits.

Fisheries

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will convene an independent inquiry into the future of fish farming in Scotland and what the reason is for its position on this matter.

Rhona Brankin: We are not persuaded that an independent inquiry into the environmental impact of sea cage fish farming would be the best way to proceed at this time. We have already identified the issues and are committed to driving forward the initiatives we have taken to address them. An inquiry would only divert effort. That said, if the Parliament were itself to mount an inquiry, as it was invited to do, my officials would offer it full assistance.

Fisheries

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much short-term aid was given to the fishing industry during the 12-week closure of North Sea fishing grounds under the Cod Recovery Plan.

Rhona Brankin: Any aid provided to the industry has to meet the requirements of EC State Aid guidelines. The measures I announced on 8 March, however, included an additional £1 million for collaborative research into more selective fishing gears. This has already benefited several vessels which have undertaken trials using these gears. It is expected that more fishermen will benefit as further trials are undertaken. Arrangements for implementing the remaining measures in the £27 million package are also being worked up as a matter of priority.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions the Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning has had with Scottish Enterprise on the proposals set out in the recovery plan presented to the First Minister by Dumfries and Galloway Council on 18 April 2001.

Ms Wendy Alexander: My officials and I have maintained close contact with Scottish Enterprise, and will continue to do so. I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-15654.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions the Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning has had with VisitScotland on the proposals set out in the recovery plan presented to the First Minister by Dumfries and Galloway Council on 18 April 2001.

Ms Wendy Alexander: My officials and I have maintained close contact with VisitScotland, and will continue to do so. I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-15654.

Fuel Duty

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what powers it has to extend the fuel duty rebate scheme to cover non-registered coach journeys and coach holidays and whether it has any plans to extend the scheme in this way.

Sarah Boyack: Statutory powers are included in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2001 to enable the Scottish Executive to amend the basis for grants to bus operators, including a power to make regulations as to the classes of bus service for which grant might be paid, and the method of calculation.

  The Commission for Integrated Transport is currently reviewing subsidies to the bus industry. The Executive is considering an interim recommendation that Fuel Duty Rebate be extended to scheduled coach services.

Gas Safety

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it has given to caravan users with regard to carbon monoxide leaks from appliances.

Malcolm Chisholm: This is a reserved matter. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which is responsible for gas safety in Great Britain, has published several leaflets on gas safety, including carbon monoxide risks and the need to have appliances regularly serviced by CORGI registered installers. This guidance applies to all gas consumers, including caravan users. HSE has also worked closely with the National Caravan Council and the Council for Registered Gas installers in developing guidance specifically targeted towards caravan users. A quarter of a million copies of this free leaflet were distributed last year to all caravan parks across Great Britain.

Gas Safety

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it proposes to take to complement the Scottish Gas carbon monoxide awareness campaign.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive welcomed the campaign, part of which was the dissemination of information to health professionals and the public. On 15 February, the Chief Medical Officer wrote to all NHS Trusts, health boards and Directors of Public Health to draw attention to the leaflet Carbon Monoxide: The Forgotten Killer produced by Scottish Gas. The Minister for Health and Community Care took part in the campaign launch on 16 February.

Genetically Modified Organisms

Robin Harper (Lothians) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive what research into genetically-modified fish it has funded and what the purpose, length and cost of any such research was and which institution undertook it.

Ross Finnie: No scientific projects on genetically modified or transgenic fish have been directly funded by the Scottish Executive.

Health

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to promote women’s pelvic health issues and, in particular, whether it is planning an awareness campaign on ovarian cysts.

Susan Deacon: There are no such plans at present. Any woman or girl who has a specific health worry about her pelvis or the possibility of ovarian cysts will be able to discuss this, either with her GP or Practice Nurse or through a Well Woman Clinic.

Health

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to introduce a deafness test within 48 hours of birth for all babies.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive welcomes the advice of the UK National Screening Committee on Neonatal Hearing Screening. The Executive has received a comprehensive review of the implications of a phased screening programme from the National Co-ordinator of the Scottish Screening Programmes and the Medical Director of the National Services Division, and the Scottish Executive will respond to its recommendations in due course.

Health Promotion

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what resources it will commit, as part of its plans to improve health, to supporting community aerobic exercise provision, such as swimming pools.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive is committed to improving health. One way of doing this is to increase levels of participation in physical activity and plans are currently at an advanced stage to establish a national Physical Activity Task Force which aims to recommend ways of doing this. A full announcement on the task force will be made in the near future.

  The resourcing of facilities such as swimming pools are however a matter for individual local authorities and others.

Hospitals

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what level of funding will be made available for the development of any new hospital facility in Angus.

Susan Deacon: The level of funding which will be made available for the development of a new hospital facility in Angus will be determined by the business case which NHS Tayside will submit to the Health Department in due course.

Hospitals

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive with regard to the announcement on 1 May 2001 by Susan Deacon in respect of an NHSiS investment programme, whether this will include an upgrade of the accident and emergency unit at Raigmore hospital and, if so, what the estimated cost of this will be, when it is scheduled to take place, whether it is subject to any conditions and, if so, what these are.

Susan Deacon: As announced on 1 May 2001, £2.4 million has been included in the NHSScotland capital investment plan for an upgrade of the accident and emergency facilities at Raigmore Hospital.

  The Scottish Executive recently received the final proposal from Highlands Acute NHS Trust and it is currently being considered.

Justice

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what prosecutions there have been to date for offences relating to the sex slave industry, what sentences were given in each case, whether it plans to create any specific offences relating to this area and, if so, what minimum sentence it will recommend that such offences should carry.

Mr Jim Wallace: Responsibility for the laws on immigration and international trafficking in persons is reserved to the UK Government.

  Criminal law is devolved. Those involved in sexual exploitation could, under Scots law, be committing one or more of a variety of crimes, both statutory and common law, the most serious of which can attract up to life imprisonment.

  For illustration, the attached table gives details of total convictions from 1995 to 1999 for certain statutory offences relating to procuration, permitting a girl to use premises for intercourse, brothel keeping and immoral traffic.

  Persons proceeded against for selected sexual offences in Scottish courts under the Criminal Law (Consolidation) (S) Act 1995 or the Sexual Offences (S) Act 1976, 1995-99

  


 


Persons with a charge proved 
  



Main Crime 
  

Custody 
  

Fine 
  

Probation 
  

Other 
  

Total 
  



Procuration1


9 
  

- 
  

3 
  

2 
  

14 
  



Householder permitting girl to use premises for intercourse2


- 
  

- 
  

- 
  

1 
  

1 
  



Brothel Keeping3


2 
  

7 
  

- 
  

- 
  

9 
  



Immoral Traffic4


- 
  

3 
  

- 
  

- 
  

3 
  



  Notes:

  1. Includes persons proceeded against under sections 1 and 2 of the Sexual offences (S) Act 1976 or section 7 of the Criminal Law (Consolidation) Act 1995.

  2. Includes persons proceeded against under section 10 of the Sexual offences (S) Act 1976 or section 9 of the Criminal Law (Consolidation) Act 1995.

  3. Includes persons proceeded against under sections 9 and 13 of the Sexual offences (S) Act 1976 or section 8(3) and 11(5) of the Criminal Law (Consolidation) Act 1995.

  4. Includes persons proceeded against under section 12 of the Sexual offences (S) Act 1976 or sections 11(1,4) and 13(9) of the Criminal Law (Consolidation) Act 1995.

  The nine custodial sentences for procuration ranged between 15 months and 10 years. The two sentences for brothel keeping were both of nine months or less.

  No specific further legislation is presently planned, but the position is kept under review.

Learning Disabilities

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to commission research into the number of people with learning disabilities who are in prison or secure accommodation and, if so, when the research findings can be expected and what resources will be allocated to the research.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Executive has no plans at present to commission formal research into the incidence of people with learning disabilities within the prison population or secure accommodation. The presence of a learning disability is taken into account when planning activities to address offending behaviour in the prison setting.

Learning Disabilities

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people with learning disabilities are currently in long-stay hospitals.

Malcolm Chisholm: At 31 March 2000, there were 1,818 people with learning disabilities in long-stay hospitals.

Learning Disabilities

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people with learning disabilities it estimates will leave long-stay hospital care in each of the next three years.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Same as You? A review of services for people with learning disabilities recommended that services in the community for people with learning disabilities should be developed to allow the remaining long-stay hospitals to close by 2005. It also recommended that approximately 400 inpatient places should be retained for assessment purposes and for people requiring specialist treatment which cannot be met in the community. It is for health boards, NHS Trusts and social work authorities to work through the implementation of these recommendations locally. The pace of change will therefore be for local determination, subject to the overall aim of achieving the 2005 target.

Learning Disabilities

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will place a copy of the guidance on the preparation of Partnership in Practice agreements in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Malcolm Chisholm: This has been issued as Circular CCD 3/2001 Implementing "The Same As You?" Partnership In Practice Agreements (Pips) And Change Funds,  which is available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre (Bib. no. 12320).

Learning Disabilities

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made in relation to the long-term programme to promote public awareness about learning disabilities, in particular an awareness programme in schools, recommended in The same as you? A review of services for people with learning disabilities and what financial resources have been allocated to such programmes.

Malcolm Chisholm: This will be taken forward mainly by the new Scottish centre for learning disabilities. We announced in March a grant of £1.5 million to a consortium led by ENABLE to establish the new centre. One of the key elements in its remit is to promote public awareness and understanding about learning disabilities through changing negative attitudes and perceptions. It will work with other organisations to share knowledge and improve information services.

  We are also funding the national Anti-Bullying Network to help schools across Scotland share good practice in tackling bullying and provide training and consultancy services to support schools and local authorities in developing effective anti-bullying strategies. This will benefit pupils with learning disabilities.

  The Anti-Bullying Network and the Scottish centre will work together to promote awareness of learning disabilities in schools.

Learning Disabilities

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to introduce personal life plans for all people with learning disabilities who want them, as recommended in The same as you? A review of services for people with learning disabilities ; if so, what progress has been made in relation to this recommendation and what additional funding has been made available for this purpose.

Malcolm Chisholm: Local area co-ordinators will be responsible for making sure that each person who wants to has the opportunity to develop a life plan. Guidance issued on 26 March to local authorities and health boards stating that the appointment of local area co-ordinators should be one of the priorities for use of change funds. The same as you? recommends that initial training for putting local area co-ordinators in place should begin in autumn 2001. Change funds of £36 million over three years have been allocated from April 2001 to support these and other proposals.

Local Government Finance

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it has given to councils regarding underused assets in the preparation for resource accounting and budgeting.

Peter Peacock: Advice regarding the treatment of assets for resource accounting and budgeting purposes is contained in the Code of Practice on Local Authority Accounting published by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA).

Maternity Services

Mr Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to introduce universal neonatal hearing screening to detect hearing loss in newly born babies.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Executive welcomes the advice of the UK National Screening Committee on Neonatal Hearing Screening. The Executive has commissioned a comprehensive review of the implications associated with implementing a phased screening programme from the National Co-ordinator of the Scottish Screening Programmes and the Medical Director of the National Services Division, and the Scottish Executive will respond to its recommendations in due course.

NHS Waiting Lists

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients are currently on the waiting list for a tonsillectomy, broken down by health board area.

Susan Deacon: The information requested is not available centrally. Information on the number of patients waiting for inpatient and day case treatment is collected at specialty level only.

NHS Waiting Times

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-6996 by Susan Deacon on 9 June 2000, what the average waiting time for the extraction of wisdom teeth was in 1999-2000 and in the nine-month period to 31 December 2000, broken down by health board area in each case.

Susan Deacon: Patients requiring the extraction of wisdom teeth can be treated by a General Dental Practitioner or as a hospital outpatient or inpatient/day case. Information on waiting times for treatment carried out by General Dental Practitioners or at hospital outpatient clinics is not available centrally.

  Information is collected centrally on the time between a patient being placed on the inpatient/day case waiting list and their admission to hospital for treatment. The median waiting time for the extraction of wisdom teeth as an inpatient or day case, by Health Board of residence, for the year ending 31 March 2000 and for the nine months to 31 December 2000, is provided in the table.

  NHSScotland: Median Waiting Times for Extraction of Wisdom Teeth1 as an In-patient/Day Case, by Health Board of Residence, for the Year Ending 31 March 2000 and the Nine Months to 31 December 2000p

  


Health Board 
  

Year Ending
31 March 2000 
  

Nine Months To
31 December 2000p



 

Median Wait
(Days) 
  

Median Wait
(Days) 
  



Argyll and Clyde 
  

44 
  

32 
  



Ayrshire and Arran 
  

93 
  

126 
  



Borders 
  

30 
  

28 
  



Dumfries and Galloway 
  

101 
  

84 
  



Fife 
  

88 
  

88 
  



Forth Valley 
  

91 
  

109 
  



Grampian 
  

28 
  

17 
  



Greater Glasgow 
  

37 
  

42 
  



Highland 
  

73 
  

39 
  



Lanarkshire 
  

52 
  

49 
  



Lothian 
  

41 
  

51 
  



Orkney 
  

15 
  

14 
  



Shetland 
  

85 
  

87 
  



Tayside 
  

41 
  

42 
  



Western Isles 
  

- 
  

- 
  



Scotland 
  

51 
  

54 
  



  Source: ISD Scotland.

  P Provisional.

  Notes:

  1. Extraction of Wisdom Teeth has been defined using OPCS4 procedure codes F09.1 and F09.3 (principal operations only).

NHS Waiting Times

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time is for a non-emergency pelvic ultrasound in each health board area.

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average waiting time is for a non-emergency pelvic ultrasound for Scotland as a whole.

Susan Deacon: The information requested is not held centrally.

Police

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether crime which is reported to the police is recorded in a consistent way across all police forces and how it monitors the consistency of such recording.

Mr Jim Wallace: Continuing efforts are made to ensure that police forces record crime in as consistent a way as possible through circulation of guidance in the Criminal Statistics Handbook . The guidance is discussed with police representatives through the Scottish Criminal Statistics Committee and is ratified by the Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland.

  Audit visits to police forces are made by the crime statistics team to monitor police recording practice and confirm that the guidance is being followed. It is also a regular feature of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary Primary Inspections to audit processes and procedures used within forces to record crime.

Post Offices

Colin Campbell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-13248 by Ross Finnie on 30 March 2001, whether, given its involvement with Her Majesty’s Government on the liberalisation of European postal services and its commitment to the maintenance of universal services throughout Scotland, it will be attending the 2,340th meeting of the Council of the European Union (Transport and Communications) when the issue of amending EC Directive 96/97/EC on the competition of postal services within the European Community will be considered and, if so, what position it will take and who will attend.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive is closely involved in discussions on the UK position in European negotiations which impact on Scottish interests. The UK was represented at the 2,340th Council meeting on Transport and Telecommunications, held on 4-5 April, by Patricia Hewitt, Minister of State at the Department of Trade and Industry and Keith Hill, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. The UK position is designed to support the maintenance of the universal service at a uniform tariff.

Renewable Energy

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-11206 by Mr Sam Galbraith on 19 February 2001, what discussions have taken place with the private sector owners of the electricity grid in Scotland regarding reviewing the grid’s capacity to support more renewable energy generation, in particular from wave power in the north west of Scotland.

Rhona Brankin: Work on this matter is proceeding. A study group comprising the network owners Scottish Power and Scottish and Southern Energy, the Scottish Renewables Forum, the energy regulator Ofgem, as well as the Scottish Executive and the DTI, is examining in detail the capacity of the Scottish grid to connect increasing amounts of renewable generation. Parallel to this, we have commissioned an update of a major 1993 report on Scotland’s potential renewable resource and its broad location. Once these studies have been completed, we will have a much clearer view of what action might need to be taken.

Roads

Mr Kenneth Gibson (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much and what percentage of the £640 million funding for roads projects will be spent in (a) 2001-02, (b) 2002-03 and (c) 2003-04, within each local authority boundary.

Sarah Boyack: On 27 March 2001 I announced a £680 million programme of investment in motorways and trunk roads for the three years to March 2004. Table 8.2 of the Executive’s Annual Expenditure Report published on 30 March sets out detailed categories of spending. The estimated costs of individual schemes costing more than £0.5 million are shown in my answer to question S1W-14599 on 23 April. Details of planned spending are not held by local authority area.

Roads

Kay Ullrich (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-13283 by Sarah Boyack on 23 April 2001, whether the ongoing lighting replacement programme in Largs will include the erection of street lighting on the south side of the A78 through Largs on the stretch of Main Street between Largs railway station and Bath Street and, if so, when funding for this work will be available.

Sarah Boyack: The street lighting provided on the north side of the stretch of Main Street between Largs railway station and Bath Street is designed to provide lighting for the whole street, including the south side.

Scottish Higher Education Funding Council

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what consideration it has given to the report by the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council (SHEFC), Realising their Potential – Report of the Contract Research Staff Initiative , and what guidance it has given to the SHEFC in the light of the report’s recommendations.

Ms Wendy Alexander: I have already emphasised to SHEFC, in my guidance letter of November 2000, that improvement in human resource policies and management should be a priority for the sector. This report makes a helpful contribution to taking this agenda forward in the case of contract researchers. While the issues raised are primarily for those responsible for the employment and management of contract researchers, I expect that the report’s findings will also assist SHEFC in promoting good employment practice.

Scottish Qualifications Authority

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether any market research firms have been hired on behalf of the Scottish Qualifications Authority in the last six months to canvass the opinions of parents of secondary school pupils and, if so, which firms are involved and what the value of each contract is.

Mr Jack McConnell: No market research firms have been hired on behalf of the SQA in the last six months.

Security Industry

Dr Sylvia Jackson (Stirling) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will consider introducing a national vetting policy for stewards in nightclubs and other establishments in order to ensure that people holding such positions do not have a history of violent crime.

Mr Jim Wallace: The Scottish Executive is currently discussing options for regulating the private security industry, including stewards in nightclubs, with representatives of the police, local authorities and the private security industry. Wider public consultation will take place in due course once these discussions have been concluded. The Executive will then consider what action is needed.

Swimming Pools

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what its target is for the level of swimming facilities which should be provided by local authorities per 15,000 persons.

Allan Wilson: Local authorities are responsible for the provision of leisure and recreation facilities, including swimming pools, in their area and the Scottish Executive does not set targets for facility provision.

Tourism

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-14935 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 20 April 2001, how many staff have responsibility for tourism policy in the Enterprise Networks and Tourism Division of its Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Department and how many officials in Historic Scotland have policy responsibility for tourism promotion.

Mr Alasdair Morrison: Seven members of staff in the Enterprise Networks and Tourism Department have tourism responsibility. A number of Historic Scotland staff are involved in tourism operations within the agency. Of these, there are three officials who have policy responsibility for tourism promotion as the major part of their work.

Tourism

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will detail the job specifications for the posts of chief executive and chairman of VisitScotland as issued prior to the appointments of Peter Lederer and Rod Lynch.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Chair, along with the other members of the VisitScotland, oversees and provides strategic direction to the operations of VisitScotland. The main duties are:

  chairing meetings of VisitScotland;

  considering papers prepared by VisitScotland;

  taking a leading role in the determination of quality, planning and resource allocations;

  representing the best interests of the tourism industry, and

  representing the board at functions and events, in negotiations, and in discussions with Scottish ministers.

  The chief executive’s role is exercised under the direction of the appointed board. It is to:

  lead VisitScotland in such a way as to enhance its reputation and profile;

  manage the organisation and operations of VisitScotland within the constraints of operating in the public sector;

  play the lead co-ordinating role among the industry and public sector bodies, developing, championing and representing the tourism sector;

  establish a clear short- and long-term direction for the business, acknowledging changing demands;

  ensure that VisitScotland has a structure that can deliver excellent service to its customers, whether from the tourist industry or as consumers, and

  develop an organisation whose culture and ethos reflects the changing environment in which it operates.

Tourism

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the new chief executive of VisitScotland will be selected by VisitScotland and, if so, what role the Executive will take in the new appointment, in particular, whether it will issue any guidance or guidelines to VisitScotland with regard to the appointment process.

Mr David Davidson (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what role it will play in the appointment of a chief executive of VisitScotland.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Yes. The Executive will be involved in the selection process and will exercise its function of giving consent to VisitScotland’s appointment. The appointment process is for VisitScotland. We are content for the search to look for a chief executive with the qualities described in the answer to question S1W-15445.

Tuberculosis

Brian Adam (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to increase vaccinations against tuberculosis in light of the recent outbreak in England.

Malcolm Chisholm: On 24 March, I announced, through Scottish Executive News Release SE0786, the resumption of the schools BCG vaccination programme in Scotland. We have now received details of vaccine requirements from boards and will be writing out to them shortly asking them to restart this element of the schools programme, giving priority to S4 pupils due to leave school in 2001.

Young People

Fiona McLeod (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what alternative activities it has funded to divert young people into positive, drug-free lifestyles.

Nicol Stephen: In addition to existing expenditure by local authorities and other agencies, we are making available an extra £21 million over the next three years specifically for services to combat the risks of drug misuse by children and young people. This includes preventive and educational projects which focus on the benefits of positive drug-free lifestyles.

Young People

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide core funding to enable Who Cares? Scotland to appoint national support staff to help local workers in their work with young people in care.

Nicol Stephen: We have offered core grant of £122,500 to Who Cares ? Scotland for the current financial year. The organisation is currently trying to develop a broader funding base. There are currently no plans to provide additional funding for extra staff.